


These Lives We've Lived

by misscocokat



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Angst, M/M, Minor Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements, dont worry about it, it's not really a soulmate au but it kinda is, more characters and relationships to be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-08-20 14:08:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8251931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misscocokat/pseuds/misscocokat
Summary: “They say if you love someone enough, you might meet them again in the next life.” The smile on Komi’s face dropped and the friendly air around him turned serious. He took a few seconds to regain himself as his fingers wrapped around a glass of warm alcohol. He threw it back, slamming it down once the glass was empty. 
“That’s a load of bullshit. They make it sound so easy when in truth it’s nothing but hell. I mean — come on! It’s been over a hundred years since I last saw a glimpse of the person I loved, but you don’t see me getting all gloomy about it!”





	

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so. The idea for this fic came to me months ago after I bought and binge played Fire Emblem: Fates. One of my favorite characters was Azama, a priest with star eyes. He also shares a few personality traits with the very few canon ones we were given about Sarukui so I wanted to take that concept and put it on Saru. Also with the lack of Sarukomi fics around I decided to roll with a reincarnation almost soulmate type of au to keep the priest thing going on but without...having to stay in it for the whole story.
> 
> Overall I just wanted to try out some new plots that I have been thinking about for a little while.
> 
> Many different pairings and characters will be introduced into this story and I have different sections of it already planned out. But the main focus will be on Komi and Sarukui and on Komi's POV.

“Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.”  
― Jalaluddin Rumi

That particular quote was printed in black on a white plaque, mounted right underneath a painting of two embracing figures with limbs wound tightly around each other. They looked to be melting into one another. The whole thing seemed to be pointing at two lovers who were separated but came back together to become ‘whole’. There was a horrible amount of pink and reds, and frankly, it left the onlooker with an amused smirk. It was so gaudy. He would never know how a painting like this got accepted into the exhibit. 

He glanced over the plaque one last time. “What a load of bullshit.” He snorted.  
Having his fill of the artwork in front of him, he turned and was ready to give his personal critique to the next one when someone stopped him. 

“Komi-san?”

Well, it looked like his little walk around had come to an end. He turned to face and give the owner of the exhibit, as well as one of his closest friends, his signature smile. “Hitoka, how many times do I have to tell you? You can call me Haruki.” 

“I know, I know… But I have to look professional in front of my other clients or they’ll think that I’m favoring you over them.”

“But you are.” That statement earned him a light smack on the arm. He only laughed as he moved to dodge the next slap that was coming his way. “Hitoka-chan — I mean, Yachi-san! You’re hitting on one of your most valuable clients and causing a scene at your own exhibition! How unprofessional!” 

Thankfully, his words convinced her to stop her light assault. The embarrassed blonde—now with blushed cheeks—snapped straight up as her head quickly darted from side to side to see if she was causing a scene. Yachi was a kind person, but she was just so easy to tease. Not to mention her cute reactions! He would never pass up an opportunities to mess with her.

He stood there watching Yachi run her hands over her black skirt to smooth out the remaining wrinkles all while mumbling to herself about never letting him back in. With one last chuckle, he moved to fix (more like loosen) his black tie while the blonde took a few seconds to let her complexion turn back to normal. He was grateful they were in one of the less crowded hallways of the building so they didn’t cause a scene. 

Komi loved moments like these. Specifically how big Yachi’s exhibit building was and all the hiding places he could use when the crowds became too much.

“You nearly made me forget the reason why I came and got you, Haruki!” She pouted. “The grade school children should be viewing your collection right about now. You should go over there just in case they have any questions.”

“Oh yeah, that was today… Maybe we could just skip th-” The look she was giving him told him that she was basically reading his mind. Yachi was pretty timid, but Komi had quickly learned that once she broke out of her shell, the girl was a force to be reckoned with. 

A small sigh passed his lips. “Alright, alright, I’m going.” He flicked his wrist to give a small wave as he walked off towards the area where his art was on display. Long ago, he was granted his own room on the second floor to display anything he, or Yachi and her partner, deemed as worthy. It did nothing but prove just how close he was to the owners.

When the soft, traveling voices turned from the inquisitive murmurs of adults to the screams and bored shouts of children, Komi knew he had reached his exhibition. 

See, Komi didn’t hate children. In fact, he enjoyed entertaining them and hearing them laugh. But when it came to explaining his art and the meaning behind each piece... well… that was another story. Especially when it came to elementary children. Why the local schools even decided to bring young students to an art exhibition for a field trip was beyond him; and judging by some of the conversations he overheard, the kids themselves didn’t want to be at an art exhibition either. 

Plastering on the fake smile he usually reserved for meetings and important crowds, Komi stepped into the large room. All eyes in the room turned to him and the loud conversations died down.

“Good afternoon. I am Komi Haruki, the artist behind all the paintings in this room. I thank you all for coming out here today and for viewing my works. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me.” He gave a bow to signal the end of his little speech. The crowd was only silent for a moment before the previous conversations picked right back up. 

Finished with his introduction, Komi shuffled through the sea of teachers and students to take a standing spot near the right back corner of the room. This way he could watch over everyone and spot anyone coming into or leaving the room before the session was over. Getting comfortable in his spot, his eyes lazily scanned the crowd, taking in their faces and reactions towards his latest collection. A set of paintings ranging in colors, scenes, and sizes covered the walls from one side of the room all the way to the other. It was only the first week since his newest works had been placed into the room upon Yachi’s request, and so far he had gotten lots of great critiques and interest shown in his works. But he doubted that a bunch of children would show much interest in such a topic. Especially with how the ending played out.

A light tug on his sleeve caused him to blink his thoughts away. Komi looked down to see a little girl with ginger ponytails staring up at him. 

“Do you need something?” he asked. Honestly, he hadn’t been expecting any of the kids to come and ask him a question, so his tone came out a little harsh. Thankfully the little girl didn’t pay it any attention.

“Can you explain one of your paintings to me, please?” She turned away from him to point at a canvas. “The one with the kids waving at each other.”

“Sure. Let’s head over there so I can explain it better.”

Komi carefully led the little girl through the crowd, occasionally looking back to make sure he didn’t lose her. It didn’t take long for them to reach the painting she had asked him about. Ironically, it was also the first painting in his collection and the first piece to the story.

The painting that stood before him was set in a forest. Bright, individual green and yellow leaves and bushes took over the majority of the canvas, save for one spot near the left edge. A medium-sized building stood in the background. Three children, one girl and two boys, were placed in the composition. The first boy had brown hair and his back to the onlookers. He sat on the grass, pointing at the girl who seemed to be smiling but also floating off the ground. The second boy had eyes as green as the leaves surrounding him and they crinkled as he laughed at the others. Overall, the scene was light and held a happy air around it.

“Well, what do you want to know about it… er… What’s your name?”

“Hinata Natsu.” She said as she went from looking at the painting to locking eyes with him.

“Well, Hinata-chan, what do you want me to explain about the painting?”

“I want to know who the kids are and why”—she raised her hand to point at the painted girl—“she’s flying and the boys aren’t.” 

Komi couldn’t help but to let out a hum as he thought over the answer he should give. Should he give her the short and boring answers or give her the whole story and, hopefully, interest her and the others in to hearing more? As he was deciding on what he should do, an idea came to him. He clapped his hands together to gather the attention of the room.

“If you are interested in hearing the story behind my collection then please come and gather around here. If not, you can go back to looking around.” The crowd was still and silent before a few children made their way over to him. Soon enough, more and more kids came over until all the separate groups had formed into one giant half circle around him and the painting. 

Pleased with the result, Komi placed both hands on his hips before starting. “The story I’m telling with my art is about a Kannushi and his samurai and the way they lived together. From when they first met to when they last saw each other.” 

He paused to let them soak in that information and then continued.

“It all started on a sunny day in Nara…”

 

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

 

Days like this were to be cherished and lived to the fullest. The sun was high in the sky and the clouds were far apart, painting the blue sky in white every now and then. Even with the heavy summer heat there was a cool breeze blowing, causing the trees to shake softly and fill the silence of the forest. The forest that one child was currently running through as he played a game on his own. Days like these were not meant to be wasted by staying inside, cooped up doing chores all day. Komi was going to spend this day doing the things he enjoyed before the weather got unbearingly hot again.

Sadly, one can only spend so many hours exploring a forest before they got tired. That’s how Komi found himself sitting on a large rock, placed right next to a path that would lead him right to his home—well, his orphanage—but it was still his home until someone adopted him. The orphanage was a medium-sized building with far too many kids living in it. That’s probably the only reason why Komi was allowed to skip out on chores every once in awhile. It was hard for the caretakers to keep an eye on every child in the establishment.

Arms folded underneath his head, he reclined back to stare up at the clear sky and watch the peaceful clouds as they passed, letting his body cool down from the exertion. He nodded off a few times, his head lolling down to his shoulder and his eyes drooping shut. The moment he thought he was going to enjoy a nice nap, a loud snap of a twig reached his ears. Immediately, he sat up and looked around to find the source of the noise. Hopefully it was just a deer or some other small woodland creature passing by. Instead, his eyes found the outline of a person walking his way.

Because he was an orphan living on the outskirts of a city surrounded by thick foliage and wildlife, his eyes were sharp. Just one glance and a regular person might have missed the shine of a finely pressed and prestigious looking robe. Komi raised an eyebrow in curiosity as his legs swung lazily from where he sat. He’s never seen anyone dressed so regally venture this far out of the city, and that immediately meant his full attention was going to be on this kid. Hopping down from his spot on the rock, his legs carried him towards the person—actually, towards the kid who looked to be no older than himself.

It took only a few seconds for the stranger to realize he had been spotted. Seeing Komi running towards them must have been enough of a shock to make the kid stop dead in their tracks, which only caused Komi to do the same. They stood there in silence, save for the noise of the leaves rustling with the summer breeze. They both stood their ground, eyes locked on each other. 

Okay, maybe not eyes, since the stranger had a hat pulled down in front of their eyes. Komi was more so staring at the spot the stranger’s eyes should’ve been.

“Hey, kid! What are you doing all the way out here?” Komi says, curiosity driving his boldness. 

The stranger reached up to pull the hat closer to their head. “Do not call me a kid. We are basically the same age.” 

If that was true then the stranger looked short for a seven-year-old, but Komi wouldn’t say that out loud. 

“Oh yeah? How can you tell when you haven’t even looked at me?” Komi crossed his arms, feeling triumphant for getting the stranger to talk back to him. A sly grin slowly grew on his face. Not only was he going to finally see the mysterious kid’s face, but he was going to win the little challenge he had set up. 

The hands that were holding the hat in a vice-like grip didn’t lighten up for the first minute or two that ticked by. The stranger’s fingers twitched as if they were debating to give in to the challenge. Eventually, their hands relaxed enough to lift the hat off their head and lower it to their chest.

Komi took this moment to look the stranger over now that he could fully see their face. The stranger was a boy, and they both really did seem to be around the same age, although the stranger was a few inches shorter. He sported a head full of curly dark brown hair that contrasted with Komi’s own lighter brown hair and his mouth seemed to be pulled up into a… smile? Weird.

“Now that wasn’t so bad, was-” Komi’s words were cut short the moment their eyes met. He felt himself unable to blink as he stared into a pair of eyes that were as green as the forest around them. However, that wasn’t the detail that had caused his sentence to fall short. It was the fact that the boy’s pupils were the shapes of stars. Komi knew this was no simple trick of the eye, caused by the shadows of hanging leaves. The boy’s eyes had stars in them and they seemed to shine and sparkle as the light hit them.

As he recovered from the shock, a full blown grin broke out across his features. When Komi’s body moved forward, the other boy took a step back.

“Your eyes! They’re amazing!” Komi exclaimed. 

“Really?” The boy scrunched up his nose, eyes flickering to stare at the house behind him before returning back to him. “I think they’re bothersome...”

At that, Komi couldn’t help but to let out a dramatic gasp. How could anyone hate having pupils shaped as stars! It made them different and unique! 

Okay, fine, maybe it might have been a little weird to others, but he liked it. 

A thought flitted through his mind about how if he had the stranger’s features, someone would have given him a home by now; but with quick shake of his head he sent that thought flying right out. 

Komi pouted his lips and made the move to step forward once more to voice his thoughts, but the other kid had already beat him to the punch and successfully cut him off, all while still wearing that weird smile.

“Only my family have these eyes and it makes other people jealous,” the kid said, his voice sad. “Some people have even tried to steal them away.” His hands tighten around his hat. “But it’s okay, our samurai always protect us. My family tells me I have to stay hidden, but it’s not fun having to stay hidden all the time...”

Now that made a lot of sense. Except for one thing.

“Um, If people want your eyes and you gotta stay hidden, why are you here?”

Komi was the kind of kid that always said what was on his mind no matter the consequences. Of course, that lead to him getting into fights with not only the other kids in the orphanage but with strangers in town. He had lost track of how many times he came back home with a new set of scrapes decorating various parts of his body and a new lecture to ignore from various staff members. This stranger was no exception, though. He wouldn’t hold back his thoughts just because the other boy had fancy eyes and nice clothes. No one was free from his words and quick temper. 

Even now, when his question was met with silence as the stranger stared at the ground and tugged at the green scarf around his neck, Komi did not back down. Instead, he stepped forward with a new question on the tip of his tongue, completely forgetting about the first one he asked.

“Why would people try to steal your eyes just ‘cause they got stars in them? They are really pretty, but I don’t see why anyone would wanna steal them and chance ruining them.”

He stared the stranger down as he awaited an answer. However, his staring caused the opposite reaction of what he had been initially aiming for. The stranger was supposed to back down and get scared and answer his question immediately. Yet, the mysterious boy also took a step forward and let the corners of his already smiling mouth tug even higher up to form a full-fledged grin. The spark that flashed in his mystical eyes almost made Komi want to back down. 

Almost.

“My eyes are not just something pretty to look at. They come with a special power.”

Komi hesitated. “...What kind of power?”

“I can see spirits. Ghosts. Gods of all kinds.”

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to thank my friend Lesa for being my beta and correcting my horrible spelling and grammar. Love ya. 
> 
> As for updates I'm not even going to try and give a schedule to you guys for false hope. But I will try to post a chapter between 1-3 weeks. All depending on the length of the chapters and whats going on in my life.


End file.
